The team at EMI North – the UK’s first ever major label regional outpost – have spoken to Music Week about their big plans for the region.
Since launching in 2023, the fledgling imprint has worked with Nadine Shah, Doves and more, all while becoming a key cog in its community in Leeds.
Since the launch of the label, there’s been a greater focus on the North within the music industry, including the BRITs moving to Manchester and the Mercury Prize heading to Newcastle. The new generation of artists from the region includes English Teacher, Nia Archives, Yard Act, Sam Fender and EMI North signing Walt Disco.
Label manager Scott Lewis oversees operations with his colleagues, label co-ordinator Jasmine Sidhu and marketing lead Tasha Pert.
EMI North is part of Island EMI Label Group’s new department, The Collective, led by Nicola Spokes.
“This is hugely personal and important to me,” said Spokes, who grew up in Lancashire. “Having a prestigious label like this in a major Northern city signals that career development and most importantly, breaking artist success, is now absolutely possible to achieve outside London. It feels so good to be championing both artists and execs from the North.”
“Island EMI is all about A&R, and discovering and nurturing exceptional talent, and having Scott and his team on the ground in Leeds gives us a better chance of doing that and being first,” added Louis Bloom, who hails from Manchester. “Everyone now has instant online access, but nothing beats having a physical presence, an actual place where people can gather and collaborate. It really helps to understand the culture and the true personality of your artists. This gives EMI North an advantage.”
As well as the A&R side of things, Lewis was tasked with bringing new label partners into the fold alongside the pair they launched with: Clue and Come Play With Me.
“As much as we are based in Leeds, and those two labels are in Leeds, this is EMI North,” he said. “We want to make sure there’s outreach, so new partners were a big focus.”
Since then, they’ve added partnerships with Liverpool label Baltic Jazz, Newcastle-based pair Interval Records and Soul Kitchen, Leeds’ Launchpad+ and Manchester set-up Home Taping.
They also brought Doves onto the roster, releasing the Manchester trio’s first new album in over four years, 2025’s Constellations For The Lonely. This year will see an album from new signings Walt Disco, as well as further partnerships and event collaborations.
“To me, building trusting relationships is at the core of what we do – and that extends into generating great marketing campaigns,” said Tasha Pert. “We’re of the North, for the North. We’re unique in our position.”
“The best thing about this team is that we’re all rooting for the same cause,” added Jasmine Sidhu. “We understand how important it is to have the North on the map and show how much talent and passion there is here. People just make stuff happen!”
Here, Scott Lewis opens up about the EMI North ethos and the team's ambitions for the label…
As a label with indie sensibilities and yet major backing, how do you strike the right balance?
“I don’t think we’ve faced many challenges. We’re a small team, the three of us, and we’re very close. We talk about everything. We speak to our label partners a lot, we’ve got all those touchpoints with the indie scene and what’s going on there, and that approach is at the core of me. I go down to the office in London and spend time there as well. That side of it is me drawing on people’s experience – people like Nicola Spokes, who’s overseeing us and running The Collective. That’s almost like a mentorship. I’m learning an awful lot from her, and her experience is huge in the major industry.”
To what extent are Nicola Spokes and Louis Bloom involved?
“One of the core things is that they’re both from the North. They understand what it’s like to come from here, work in the industry and get to the levels they’re at. Louis has been massively supportive. With Walt Disco, he’s backed us and given us freedom. Nicola is just a constant source of support. She’s not just speaking to us and supporting what we’re doing; she’s speaking to some of the label partners and getting involved with them as well. [Universal Music Group UK & Ireland chairman and CEO] Dickon Stainer’s very supportive of what we’re doing, too. The core team at Island EMI are crucial to what we do, as is the wider team at UMG UK.”
Why do you think it took so long for there to be a first regional major label outpost?
“Because it felt like you’d get to a glass ceiling and then the opportunities were down in London. Up here, if you find yourself in a role, you really grab onto it and dig in. Maybe that’s why it’s taken so long – people were more willing to go down there. But that changes when you see how much talent there is outside of London. Maybe it’s partly due to Covid and lockdown, and the fact that people now know they can stay where they are. There’s a real sense of ownership from people in the regions: talent development organisations like Generator – they’re based up in Newcastle and work across the North East; Brighter Sound in Manchester; Launchpad+ and Music Local who are in Leeds and work across Yorkshire. These organisations are important because they’re at the grassroots of things. That’s quite a Northern trait – collaborating, supporting each other and making things work.”
Scott Lewis, Jasmine Sidhu, Tasha Pert and Nicola Spokes
What’s the plan for your new signing Walt Disco?
“They’re not a new band, they’ve had two records out and were signed to Lucky Number, a brilliant label based in London. The band are from Glasgow and I’ve known the manager Hamish [Fingland of Bounse Management] for a while. He sent me over some demos, and they were exceptional. They’ve been recording a new album that should be out this year. I’m really excited.”
When you’re approaching artists to sign, what’s the USP you put forward as to why they should sign with you?
“Personal relationships are the biggest thing, trying to build those up and be personable with them. We try to talk to them on a creative level, to almost ‘sell us’ as a team. We’re a small team, but we’re completely dedicated to every project that we work on. It’s really important for us to be in the roots of everything that’s happening, as much as is comfortable for that artist and the team around them. I think that’s a massive selling point: we throw ourselves into whatever we’re working on massively. We are also part of a major label group in Island EMI, so we’ve got that power and that access and are able to do those things, but they will get the feel of an indie label. They get the attention they might want if they feel nervous about a major, which some artists may do.”
Can you share any details of any new label partners?
“We’ve just started working with Blk Scl!, which is based in Liverpool. That’s led by Yaw Owusu, who’s an incredible creative A&R. He is part of the PRS Foundation’s Power Up programme, and he’s got a real grounding in talent, A&R, and bringing brilliant stuff through. It’s venturing into a new city for us, and Yaw has got a direction that he wants to work in. He’s working with and directly supporting Black music and is perfectly placed to bring through incredible, talented artists. He’s got the connections, he’s got the knowledge and the know-how. The Liverpool region is developing loads; it’s a music city, there’s tons of stuff going on there. That feels like an important move, and there are new genres that we don’t currently have among our label partners, which you’re always looking at. He’s also involved in a lot of educational things, industry conference work and mentorship.”
What’s your take on the talent pipeline at the moment?
“It feels like there’s never been more than at this point. There are so many British artists that are doing incredible things and some of them have been going for a while. It feels like there’s a bit more patience in the industry, allowing an artist to find their place and find their voice, which I think is a real positive and something that’s true of Walt Disco. There’s lots of good stuff out there. It’s never been more exciting, particularly in the North.”
Finally, what would success both this year and beyond look like for the EMI North team?
“I think it would be that the Walt Disco album has gone incredibly well, that their venue sizes have increased, and that the album is critically acclaimed and seen as a timeless, classic body of work. That at least one of our label partners has got an artist that’s gone on to be a household name, has an acclaimed album, or done something that has meant they are fulfilling their dreams and ambitions as an artist. That’s huge for us; if they can succeed, we succeed through that as well. Those are the two key things.”
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